Chapter 13

Helena's POV 

I could see it now. Could see what everyone was oozing about. 

It was everything and more worth being all so freaked out about.

It was a stark contrast to what happened below and tripled my expectations.

To say the executive level was something else would be an understatement.

It was way calmer than the rest of the building. The lighting was softer and the hallways were less busy and all.

But that's not what really stood out. The atmosphere completely changed the moment I walked in.

The air conditioners up here seemed to be walking on another frequency and the floor marts looked better than my bed at home.

It had minor decorations but carried this heavy essence that made one stand still upon walking in.

It was safe to say that the air here carried that subtle sense of authority that came with being near the top.

I had nearly forgotten what brought me up here in the first place. Oh shit, the meeting.

I skipped down the corridor, not running only cause running up here felt like breaking the speed limit.

So I skipped, trying my best to maintain some level of composure till I realized I didn't know where exactly I was good.

I slowed down, realizing that his message didn't even come with enough description.

He had just assumed I'll know everywhere!

I began sweating as I didn't know where to turn and the hallways were empty as hell.

The doors around were few, and all looked too sacred to even dare knock on.

I was left in a bubble till I noticed they all had one thing in common. Labels.

Each door had a large label with a name and what should be their position by its side.

I gulped as even the labels looked frightening.

With that, I got the hunch to just follow the hallway till I found Barron's name. 

And sure enough, at the tail end, just when I was about giving up, I spotted the last door at the center of the end of the hallway with his name written on it.

BARRON HALE – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

I read the words over and over again. Mehn he really is something.

I gulped hard one more time and for the briefest moment possible, I considered turning around.

But before my legs could, I reached out and knocked.

“Come in.” 

I heard from the other end in the exact same tone he used during meetings.

I pushed open the door and nearly gawked at the interior design. 

It was the first time I had stepped my foot in here, I had thought the office we had my interview in was his office, but apparently, that was probably just the interview room.

I took a better look around and struggled to hide my admiration.

I mean, if I thought the executive floor was something, then Barron's office clearly took offense with that.

It was majestic to say the least. Large, simply but exquisitely designed and chill, like bone freezing.

He had laurels at one end, and what should be souvenirs at another end.

Multiple rewards had been stacked and a couple of things in here looked to be made of gold.

I managed to step in and shut the door behind me before finding Barron standing near the large glass window behind his desk.

He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket anymore and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up slightly, revealing strong forearms as he flipped through the screen of his tablet.

His gaze lifted when he noticed my presence.

“You are nearly 20 minutes late. Better late than never, huh?” He remarked as he went back to doing what he was doing.

I gulped and lowered my head. “Sorry sir, I got lost and struggled to find your office, sir,” I explained with my head bowed throughout.

He gestured towards the chair across from his desk without another word.

“Sit,” he added gently and I walked over slowly, taking a seat and placing my tablet on my thighs.

He did his thing for a few more minutes before walking around the desk and taking the seat opposite me.

I struggled to keep my posture as I adjusted softly as his perfume immediately enveloped me, suffocating my senses.

“This project will require quick adjustments,” he spoke up, ignorant of how his closeness to me affected me and went on tapping the screen of his tablet. 

“The onboarding interface changed our user behavior model. That affects more departments than just analytics,” he added.

“I understand, sir,” I cut in.

“I want to test several predictive variations before we finalize the strategy,” he continued, then turned the tablet slightly in my direction.

A data model was displayed over the screen.

“Tell me what you see,” he whispered.

I leaned forward slightly, studying the information. Then a few seconds passed as I scanned the numbers.

“The retention curve is stabilizing faster than expected,” I said slowly. “But the engagement spike is happening earlier than projected too,” I added confidently.

His eyes stared down at me closely and I looked away, unable to hold them.

“Why?” He asked.

I turned back to the screen before answering. “The new onboarding prompts users to explore features immediately instead of gradually.”

He nodded slightly. “So?” He asked and it took me a few seconds to register what he wanted.

“So the initial activity spike looks promising, but it could collapse if users lose interest after the first interaction,” I replied.

It was followed by a brief silence. Then Barron leaned back slightly in his chair.

“You are right,” he muttered and those few words felt oddly satisfying.

He tapped another part of the model. “How would you test that risk?” He asked.

I swallowed hard again, knowing this would be a long one.

I exchanged a look with him and he was staring at me intently, waiting for me.

So I coughed and began, explaining my approach and outlining several testing adjustments.

He listened all the way without interrupting for a second which somehow made the moment feel more intense.

When I finished and finally stopped talking, he studied me quietly for a few seconds without a word.

My throat felt dry and I instantly wished for water.

“You analyze quickly,” he muttered, pulling me back.

“I try to, sir,” I replied.

He remained silent for a moment longer, letting this one flow slightly longer than it should have.

Then he leaned forward again, resting his forearms lightly against the desk.

“You’re comfortable challenging authority, aren't you?” He said out of nowhere.

I choked on the air but gathered myself quickly. “I won't say so, sir. I’m just comfortable challenging bad data,” I replied.

For a second, something almost like amusement flickered in his eyes and I could have sworn I saw a smile.

But if there was, it faded way too quickly. “Good answer,” he muttered.

His lips parted to continue, but my phone suddenly vibrated from my bag.

Shit! Wrong time.